T/E committee to look at outsourcing options

Members of the Tredyffrin/Easttown School Board delved further into budgetary matters during Monday’s finance committee meeting.

Following the board’s previous decision to limit any potential tax raise to the 1.7-percent cap as part of Act 1, the preliminary budget for 2013-14 was updated. The only impact items not currently listed on the budget are two related to outsourcing.

School Board President Kevin Buraks announced the formation of an outsourcing committee, consisting of members Richard Brake, Anne Crowley, Kris Graham and Liz Mercogliano, with assistance from business manager Art McDonnell and solicitor Ken Roos. The committee will look into all facets of service that could be contracted out to save money.

Finance Committee Chairperson Betsy Fadem said custodial, maintenance, cafeteria and secretarial departments and costs would be reviewed. The process could stretch over two budget years, due to full-disclosure obligations to the non-instructional union and the fact that no contractor provides all of those services, thus necessitating a search process for each.

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“I’m not sure we’ll get there for next year, but the committee will start the process and let the board know,” Fadem said. “There are various groups within that could get outsourced if it’s more economical.”

Fadem said the consideration of outsourcing positions was difficult in the past because of the dedicated service of current employees, but would begin again.

“We got close to that decision point two years ago, and that was the tug and the pull, absolutely,” Fadem said. “As we get further into our projection model and look at the deficit, we may not have opportunities that would realize as many expense cuts that would also be reoccurring cuts.

“It is a tough decision. We are very comfortable with our staff and we love our staff in terms of what they provide to the district and the students, but at some point in time, economic decisions might outweigh that.”

The committee also discussed instituting exclusivity in advertising and sponsorship deals with local businesses at district sporting venues, which adds money to its bottom line. The agreement would mean advertisers from a specific industry would not share space with competitors.

“We didn’t really think about that when we started this a year-and-a-half ago, but we’ve been approached twice, and we think it could be a good opportunity,” Fadem said.

The finance committee will next meet for a budget workshop on March 4, where staffing, enrollments and revenue projections will be addressed in detail.